I agree with 1Fast. Hey, who am I to argue with a man with 26" biceps . Soreness should not be a goal, nor is it a good gauge for progress. But as a relative newbie, you should be experiencing some soreness or, at least some tightness the following day.
Without actually having seen you train, here's a guess at what might be happening:

~ not supplying sufficient overload to the muscle being worked.
~ incomplete range of motion.
~ using too much momentum.
~ performing reps too quickly and not slowing down the eccentric portion (negative) of the movement, which causes the most muscle trauma.
~ you have good post workout nutrition and pre and post workout supplementation.
~ sufficient protein calories and sleep habits.

Could be any of the above, or a combination of any, or it could mean that your recovery parameters are better than average. Or it could simply mean that you don't get sore. Go through the checkpoints above, but most of all if you are getting stronger and leaner, you are on the right track.

~ not supplying sufficient overload to the muscle being worked.
~ incomplete range of motion.
~ using too much momentum.
~ performing reps too quickly and not slowing down the eccentric portion (negative) of the movement, which causes the most muscle trauma.

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Mastover made a good call. I am glad to see you have increased weights, Those old 5-15 lbs ones weren't giving you sufficent overload. Don't worry about soreness, focus on body/muscle changes. You still might be underestimating your strength

RTEDo as many repetitions as possible ... in good form. Dr. Ellington Darden giving a definition of HIT

The only person whose behavior we can control is our own. All we can give another person is information. What happened in the past has everything to do with what we are today, but we can only satisfy our basic needs right now and plan to continue satisfying them in the future. Dr. William Glasser

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My problem is that I am not feeling sore. Here is what I have been doing.

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Sore means nothing, neither good nor bad.

You might consider hitting your legs a bit harder than your arms. You can walk around all day no problem, right? Consider just how punishing it would be to walk on your hands all day? Even one flight of stairs would be a massive overload. You see the one legged squat in my avatar? Most people who bother to try doing that can learn to do that in a few weeks. I am not aware of anyone at all can do that on one hand instead of one leg. So keep in mind: your legs are naturally strong, so if you want them to improve, you must challenge them.

Slim Pickens, a.k.a. Major Kong, captain of the plane, was not told the movie was a comedy. To save money, Peter Sellers was originally supposed to play Major Kong, but allegedly had trouble developing the Western/cowboy accent.

Slim Pickens, a.k.a. Major Kong, captain of the plane, was not told the movie was a comedy. To save money, Peter Sellers was originally supposed to play Major Kong, but allegedly had trouble developing the Western/cowboy accent.

The reason I don't work my legs out more is because they tend to get big fast. I already have muscle there and I really don't wan't to look to buff. I want to have muscle def. and lose enough body fat were you can see my muscles. I want to keep a female look.

My arms are what gives me the most trouble.

I was reading elswhere that I should do about 4 sets and increase weight and decrease reps as I go along each set. do you think this is a good idea or will this just help strength wise.

remember I want goooood muscle def. not to big. not really interested in strength.

I really appreciate all the help. I have been at this for a while in this site and I have learned a lot. not to mention I have lost 6 lbs. and feel great.

I think, in general, there is an unreasonable fear of getting too bulky. Unless genetically you are very muscular, the kind of work to get big is extraodinary. Especially without proper supplementation. I think that picture Zen put up actually is a turn off to most women (Sorry, VERY presumptuous of me, I know).
Take a look at Rockenmama's fitness journal and site. I would say that her work ethic is extraordinary. Yet, in her casual pics on her web site she looks very good with good muscle definition. (Those biceps and flexed quads pics are intimidating, though. )

I think, in general, there is an unreasonable fear of getting too bulky. Unless genetically you are very muscular, the kind of work to get big is extraodinary. Especially without proper supplementation. I think that picture Zen put up actually is a turn off to most women (Sorry, VERY presumptuous of me, I know).

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look, that rower is in the middle of her stroke; naturally, she's at the peak of her muscle contraction. you wouldn't look twice at her on the street. she'd look "like everyone else."

yeah, I agree, I wouldn't worry about getting "big." I mean, I lift heavy in every exercise I do and my dimensions have actually gotten smaller due to the decrease in body fat. So long as you're watching your diet, there is no way you are consuming nearly enough calories to actually put on tons of size. Oh, and when I first began lifting I had the same concerns about training my legs. I thought I would get that bulky look if I lifted heavy weight. But I pushed through my fear and starting lifting morderate weight with my lower body and it's totally paid off. My legs have become smaller and more defined. So, don't be afraid to get in the weight room. Lift heavy!!

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yeah, I agree, I wouldn't worry about getting "big." I mean, I lift heavy in every exercise I do and my dimensions have actually gotten smaller due to the decrease in body fat. So long as you're watching your diet, there is no way you are consuming nearly enough calories to actually put on tons of size. Oh, and when I first began lifting I had the same concerns about training my legs. I thought I would get that bulky look if I lifted heavy weight. But I pushed through my fear and starting lifting morderate weight with my lower body and it's totally paid off. My legs have become smaller and more defined. So, don't be afraid to get in the weight room. Lift heavy!!

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Right. If you're not eating above maintenance calories, you will continue to burn fat as you build muscle, so while your lean mass will increase relative to your fat mass, you won't get any bigger, you'll just drop in body fat percentage.

Good advice here. The girl pictured rowing, probably weighs 20-30 lbs less than you do. Pics are deceiving. People always comment on my avater picture and think I weigh over 200 lbs. Yet in reality I am 163 in that pic.

The more muscle you build on your entire frame, the more fat you'll burn. And if you train your legs with intensity using squats, stiff leg deadlifts, leg presses, lunges, you'll burn even more fat and get one step closer to the lean, ripped look you desire.

One of the biggest mistakes a woman can make in her quest for fat loss and a lean, symmetrical physique, is not pushing the weights hard enough.

OK- I'm not a woman, but I had the same concern. I was already bigger than i wanted to be, and wasn't sure that lifting was going to get me there. In January 2005, I was 248lbs (I'm 6'3") and hadn't lifted since college (I'm 36). A good friend of mine was a former trainer, and during a conversation, I agreed to try lifting for 1 month.

1 month later I was 16 lbs lighter, and all of my measurements were down. Even my neck. Even my quads. I had exactly zero pairs of pants that fit me. I've kept lifting and have been around 202 for almost a year, despite a diet regimen that is not consistent.

My point is simply to echo the sentiments above. Muscle is smaller than fat, and it burns fat 24/7. The picture of the rower posted by ZP shows muscle that is under full strain - a flexed bicep, for example. Size and striation are enhanced under load.

For whatever it's worth, I'd suggest taking measurements and lifting heavy (and modifying your rep schemes for a month - preferably two). Check out your measurements after that. If it's not what you are looking for, then you can always change it.

Women who worry about bulking and think they bulk fast are often forgetting the amount of FAT they have marbled IN their muscles. When you lean out, so do they. Also, usually it's just a quick little initial gain and then nothing. It's HARD to gain muscle after the initial little spurt. I know it was reccomended you check out Pam's (rockenmama) journal - she is someone who IS one of the extreme few who CAN build muscle quickly. But even so, realize she is about a size *2* in person.

Also, don't confuse strength with size.You can have large looking muscles and not be able to lift as much as the person next to you who is smaller. I can bench more than some men, but I promise you I have MUCH smaller arms (though flexed is doesn't appear to be so in a photo. Photos are decieving.)

Lift hard. Lifting in a pyramid fashion as you mentioned is fine. it's just one method, and there are others. What IS important to remember is to SWITCH your exercises about every 3-4 weeks. Your body will adapt, changes will not be as forthcoming without the changeup. And being sore, as everyone said, is no indication of how you are working.

Also, more isn't always better. Effecient, strong, concise training is. Quality over quantity. And if you are trying to fit in mass quanities on one day, I promise you that you are not putting in the right effort on the last exercises as you are the first in your series - and that only cheats yourself.

Lifetime Platinum Member

I think that picture Zen put up actually is a turn off to most women (Sorry, VERY presumptuous of me, I know).

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Well not everyone ends up getting that ripped from exercise. Here is a picture of another Olympic rower who was the 2002 World Champion in her event:

The idea that lifting will get you incredibly muscular is not false, but the other side of the coin is that you normally have to invest many years of exercise with the specific goal of getting incredibly muscular. And it takes longer for women.

So in case you don't want to get muscular, don't worry. Ask a lot of men around here who are actually trying to look ripped - easier said than done.

You still want to work those legs though. Good circulation in the legs becomes a cosmetic issue - regular exercise is one of the first things people will tell you about reducing varicose veins. There's a lot of health issues in favor of working legs, but that's one cosmetic reason just off the top of my head.

Slim Pickens, a.k.a. Major Kong, captain of the plane, was not told the movie was a comedy. To save money, Peter Sellers was originally supposed to play Major Kong, but allegedly had trouble developing the Western/cowboy accent.

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